Like many of the new members on this site, I will admit to being a long-time snooper but first time poster
I started at OHW, but thanks to some of you rebellious types, I caught on that most everyone moved here. In march I purchased my first home, a stone farmhouse with a beautiful rural 3.5 acres, pond and stream back in my hometown in northern MD. Hopefully the photo link worked, as I know everyone likes a photo! I'm brand new to posting on websites and using online photo programs...no idea how to post a photo directly, as the smallest size I could save to was too big. I'm a 30 year old Luddite
Anyways, this is really a dream come true--- I used to doodle stone houses in my notebooks as a kid and I just finished a master's in landscape architecture, in historic and cultural landscape preservation, in an attempt to make a career of preserving historic agrarian landscapes. Glad I can save one more parcel in my hometown from the developers! I'm also thrilled to have some room to take my horses from my parents, and start collecting some critters 
http://s1167.photobucket.com/user/ccorball/library/
I have been able to trace the house back to around 1870s, German construction (which my Mom, from Germany, loves), though the homeowners say it is 200 years old and rebuilt after a fire. I'm not so sure about that, since the historical stone mason I had out said there was no evidence of a fire (pink grout). The architectural historian I had out also agreed with 1870s. Clues lead me to believe it was once a story and a half, not two stories, similar to an old stone house down the street. I found some old, still whole, windows hidden inside the walls, which support this theory in terms of how the second floor relates to them. The section of the house on the left in the photo is a new addition. The back of the house would have originally been the front of the house, with a big front porch, which has now been enclosed by that ugly white concrete siding. Can't wait to afford to restore it. I also removed the garage, as it was structurally very unsound, and it covered 2 interior windows, making for some very dark rooms.
The interior had been greatly remodeled in the 1950s, but thankfully, they just covered the original features rather than remove them. I found the old lath and plaster, hand hewn lumber, floors, window frames, painted molding, etc. under the wood paneling and orange shag carpet, haha. I've gone through layers and layers of flooring, layers and layers of paneling and wall paper, and lots of very odd structural changes made over the years. I've found old molding, door frames, and nice flooring under all the layers, so it was certainly worth it! Between the thrill of discovery and spending quality time with my very competent jack of all trades and freshly retired dad, this has been an exhausting but wonderful experience so far. Also a bit expensive, given the student loans are still piled up! The great deal I negotiated on the house is starting to seem a little less great, haha.
I have tons of questions for all of you, but I will start with just a few simple ones for today, since I'm nearly competing with Tolstoy for this post
1.) Does anyone know of a plasterer in the MD/PA/WV/VA area who has experience with old homes? I am planning on saving the plaster on the stone walls, which just needs a skim coat to clean it up, and replacing the interior walls with blue board (the plaster was beyond saving and knob and tube needed to be replaced). I know a good plasterer, but he will only do a lime/gypsum mix. He is afraid of the uncertainty of using historical methods. Given that I am trying to be as respectful of historic materials as possible, would you recommend I find someone willing to do a true lime plaster or will the gypsum mix be unnoticeable? Does it influence paint or other finishes? I am totally new to this world of plaster and stone, so any advice would be appreciated!
2.) In terms of restoring the front porch, I have nothing to go on, other than the original roof line (the beams run through the thick stone walls in the house, so we know they are original). Anyone have any suggestions for books/photos/local homes in MD/PA with porches that would have matched a house of this era/design? Particularly, I am struggling with how to access the basement without water flooding in or cutting off head space on the stairs. I'm thinking perhaps there used to be a hatch in the porch floor, rather than someone ducking under the porch from the outside to get to the basement stairs. I'll try to find a photo.
3.) Finally, if my house were prairie or Victorian etc. I could just look up the style and find lots of information to guide the restoration. Those of you with "vernacular" homes, how do you approach this problem? Right now I am generally looking at all styles in the mid-late 19th century, but particularly Georgian, as my house does at least have some of the symmetry of that style. I would love to have a good reference for German stone farmhouses or something similar though! I'm basically in PA, where stone houses are more abundant, so weekend drives, wandering around the mountains is part of my research right now.
Ok, sorry for the long post! Thanks!
